A blog on the current crises in the Middle East and news accounts unpublished by the US press. Daily timeline of events in Iraq as collected from stories and dispatches in the French and Italian media: Le Monde (Paris), Il Corriere della Sera (Milan), La Repubblica (Rome), L'Orient-Le Jour (Beirut) and occasionally from El Mundo (Madrid).

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Jack Lang et al call it like it is

Another credentialed European politician steps up the the plate: Former French Culture Minister Jack Lang (Via L'Orient-Le Jour)

Former Socialist Minister Jack Lang termed George W. Bush a “cretin” and a “war monger”, who has brought more “chaos” to the Middle East. Lang calls on France and the European Union to offer a “human and constructive” vision to counter that of the US President.

"One of the major parties responsible for all this is Mr. Bush. It’s too much…it’s fanatical and imbecilic at the same time; he’s a fanatic and a cretin. For the past four years, this guy has been the leading the world and the Middle East into a fiasco.

Bush has destroyed Iraq and is indirectly promoting the destruction of Lebanon. He is a war monger. He has done more than another other actor to strengthen the extremists and the terrorists.

It is important that the Europeans and France in particular offer a different vision --a human, humanist, intelligent and constructive vision. I support the French plan before the UN for a ceasefire and the creation of an international force(…)"

Moreover, three Socialists MPs, Gérard Bapt, François Loncle and Jérôme Lambert announced their approval yesterday “of the refusal of France to support the sham delays on the part of the Bush administration in the Lebanese-Israeli conflict."

"We approve the refusal by France to support the sham delays on the part of the Bush Administration; we reject the engagement of French troops in Lebanon until armed confrontation has ended and we support the peace plan drafted by the Lebanese government. We salute the position adopted in Brussels by Europe’s 25 Foreign Ministers calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities."

They also denounced the “US maneuvering aiming soley at delaying the end to hostilities to the benefit of the Israeli Army and an illusory victory against Hezbollah at the price of the destruction of Lebanon and a horrible human tragedy."